Economical stretchable precious-metal rings having enclosed annular voids

ABSTRACT

An all-gold ring with substantial saving of gold, but which can be satisfactorily stretched to enlarge its size, is made by providing within the body of the ring narrow internal annular channels spaced apart by supporting ribs. A practical method of manufacture is to assemble and solder together an inner ring and an outer ring, the inner ring being grooved on its outer peripheral face. Gold solder paste of a character to match the ring is smeared on the inner surface of the outer ring. The inner ring is inserted while slightly undersize, so as not to scrape off the solder, and is then enlarged by stretching past its elastic limit to engage the outer ring firmly. The assembly is then heated, fuse-bonding the contacting surfaces throughout their areas.

United States Patent Sager Apr. 15, 1975 541 ECONOMICAL STRETCHABLE2,036,801 4/1936 Fitzgerald 29/4705 2,048,878 7/1936 Moldenhauer...63/15 2,450,762 10/1948 Marshall. 63/l5.2

ENCLOSED ANNULAR vows 3,022,648 2 1962 Thaler 63/15 [75] lnventor: BertW. Sager, Highland Park, 111.

[73] Assignee: Paramount Wedding Ring Co., Inc.,

Chicago, 111.

[22] Filed: Feb. 22, 1974 [21] Appl. No.: 444,828

[52] US. Cl. 63/15; 29/l60.6; 29/470.5; 29/475 [51] Int. Cl. A44c 9/00[58] Field of Search ..63/l5,15.1,15.2,15.3, 63/l5.4; 29/160.6, 523,470.5, 475

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 404,094 5/1889 Knight 63/151,192,983 8/1916 Brudercr 29/l60.6

1,327,606 l/1920 Bacharach 63/15.2

1,382,438 6/1921 Mestechkin 29/l60.6 1,442,240 l/l923 Stone 29/l60.61,822,392 9/1931 Esterman et al 63/l5.4 2,027,060 l/l936 Niven 631/15Primary Examiner-F. Barry Shay Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Darbo, Robertson& Vandenburgh [57] ABSTRACT An all-gold ring with substantial saving ofgold, but which can be satisfactorily stretched to enlarge its size, ismade by providing within the body of the ring narrow internal annularchannels spaced apart by supporting ribs. A practical method ofmanufacture is to assemble and solder together an inner ring and anouter ring, the inner ring being grooved on its outer peripheral face.Gold solder paste of a character to match the ring is smeared on theinner surface of the outer ring. The inner ring is inserted whileslightly undersize, so as not to scrape off the solder, and is thenenlarged by stretching past its elastic limit to engage the outer ringfirmly. The assembly is then heated, fuse-bonding the contactingsurfaces throughout their areas.

4 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures INTRODUCTION The invention of which thepresent disclosure is offered for public dissemination in the eventadequate patent protection is available relates to the economicalmanufacture of stretchable precious-metal rings. It is extremelydesirable that precious-metal rings be stretchable from one size to alarger size. This is especially important in connection with rings whichare to be held for sale byjewelers. becauseit greatly reduces theinventory which they must carry. There are also more rare occasions whena ring needs to be stretched to a larger size after being worn.

Economy in ring manufacture has been practiced heretofore in at leasttwo ways. One is by making a ring which was concave on its inner face.Most people do not regard such a ring as attractive when it is off of afinger. The amount of precious metal which can be saved without suchadverse side effects as forming grooves on the finger is relativelysmall. Also stretching these rings to a larger size without impairmentof external appearance. due to collapsing is usually not practicable.

The other prior method of economy is to make hollow rings. However,these could not be stretched because attempts to stretch them wouldresult in collapsing them. Accordingly this economy was practiced mainlyin connection with rings made to order. such as class rings. where theneed for stretching was relatively unlikely.

According to the present invention a substantial proportion of theprecious metal. such as 25 percent, can be saved. and yet the ring canbe stretched as satisfactorily as a solid ring. This is' accomplished byproviding separated annular channels or grooves internally of the bodyof the ring so that all of its outer surfaces are the same as with asolid ring. The annular channels are separated by ribs which reliablyprevent collapse of the ring in the event of stretching. The ribs are ofthe same metal as the rest of the ring so that a l4-carat gold ring hasno metal in it other than l4-carat gold.

Rings according to this invention are as satisfactory to the user assolid rings. but can be sold to jewelers at substantially lower cost.Because they can be stretched. the jeweler does not need to carry a morecomplete variety of sizes than he would with solid rings.

The advantages of the invention may be more fully appreciated byreference to the following description and to the drawings.

, DESIGNATION OF FIGURES FIG. I is a diagrammatic representation of thegrooving of an inner ring on a lathe.

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic representation of the application of goldsolder paste to the inner surface of the outer ring and the slipping ofthe inner ring within it.

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic representation of the stretching of the innerring so that at its new size it will firmly engage the outer ring.

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic representation of heating the composite ring ofFIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic representation of trimming the edges of thering.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the finished ring. FIG. 7 is adiagrammatic representation of stretching the finished ring to be of alarger size if a larger size is needed.

INTENT CLAUSE Although the following disclosure offered for publicdissemination is detailed to ensure adequacy and aid understanding. thisis not intended to prejudice that purpose of a patent which is to covereach new inventive concept therein no matter how others may laterdisguise it by variations in form or additions or further improvements.The claims at the end hereof are intended as the chief aid toward thispurpose. as it is these that meet the requirement of pointing out theparts. improvements. or combinations in which the inventive concepts arefound.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RING OF THIS INVENTION As seen in FIG. 6 the ring 11of this invention has the appearance on all of its external surfaces ofa solid precious-metal ring. Its-outer peripheral face may have anydesired decorative treatment. It may be stretched to enlarge its size.as indicated in FIG. 7. Within its body, however, it is characterized bya reinforced hollowness resulting from a series of closely spacedannular grooves 12, separated by annular ribs 13. as seen in FIGS. 2 and3. The ribs 13 are integral with one of the two ring-parts l6 and I7which make up the final ring. and bear firmly on the other ring-part sothat enclosed annular voids are formed by surfaces of the two ringparts. They are also thick enough and spaced at sufficiently closeintervals so that they provide adequate reinforcement throughout thecross sectional area of the ring to prevent collapsing of the outerring-part during stretching of the ring to enlarge its size as seen inFIG. 7. Two ring-parts I6 and 17 are fuse-bonded together as bysoldering with a soldering paste matching the metal of the ring. Thejoint between the two ring-parts should be completely undetectable. atleast to the naked eye.

METI-IOD OF MANUFACTURE The basic concepts of a suitable method ofmanufacture are illustrated in the drawings. As illustrated in FIG. 1,grooves are cut into the outer peripheral surface of the inner ring-part16. Although this is illustrated as being performed on a lathe with onegroove cut at a time into a separate ring-part 16, a screw machine willusually be used. In that instance the grooves may be cut all at once andbefore the ring-part 16 is severed from the tube being fed into thescrew machine.

FIG. 2 diagrammatically illustrates the application of a soldering pasteto the inner surface of the outer ringpart 17. According to presentpractice. a small amount of the paste is smeared to thinly coat theentire inner surface of the ring-part 17. A possible alternative is toapply the paste by a set of printing rollers to the faces of the ribs13, much as printer's ink is applied to the raised typein letterpressprinting. The soldering paste should of course be one which matches themetal of the ring. Thus if the ring-part 17 is of l4-carat gold. a 14-carat gold solder should be used.

The outside diameter of ring-part 16 is slightly less than the insidediameter of ring-part I7, so that when the ring-part 16 is slid into thering-part 17., a sufficient coating of the soldering paste will beexpected to remain at all points. But turning one part within the othersomething like a quarter turn will tend to respread the solder coatingin case any spot has been scraped clean.

The next step is to tighten the contact between the inner and outerring-parts. One way to do this is illustrated in FIG. 3. With theloosely assembled ring positioned loosely in a fixture 21. an enlargingplunger 22 is driven through the inner ring-part I6. stretching itbeyond its elastic limit so that at its new size. it fits tightly withinthe outer ring-part 17. The present practice is to accumulate a numberof tightened ring assemblies on the press rod 24 and then remove theenlarging die 22 to remove the tightened rings.

Another method of providing a tightened ring assembly would be to makethe ring-parts 16 and 17 such that at the same temperature they havetight engagement. but achieve looseness during the initial assembly by atemporary but substantial temperature differential between the twoparts. either heating the outer ring-part 17 or chilling the innerring-part 16.

The next step is to heat the tightened ring assembly to fuse the solderbetween the ring-parts. thereby fusebonding the two ring-parts together.With a tight fit between the parts indicated by FIG. 3, excellentfusebonding is achieved. If there should be any contacting areasdeficient in solder. the solder tends to be drawn throughout such areasby capillary action.

The next step is to trim the edges of the ring as is diagrammaticallyillustrated in FIG. 5. Present practice is to trim off approximately0.005 inch from each edge. This usually makes the fused jointimperceptible. at least to the naked eye.

Of course. the ring is subjected to the usual final polishing. Also anydesired decorative treatment may be given.

ACHIEVEMENT In the use of the present invention. it is easy to save onthe order of 25 percent of the precious metal. even though the ring hasthe same external appearance as if it were solid. and the samestretchability to enlarge its size. Virtually I00 percent of theprecious metal cut from the ring-parts in forming the grooves and intrimming the edges is salvaged and reprocessed.

FURTHER VARIATIONS AND DATA Dimensions which will give adequatelyreinforcement during stretching and yield the desired or maximum savingof precious metal can be determined by test. Present manufacturingpractice. stated in inches. is to have grooves 0.020 deep (at center ofconcave base of groove) by up to 0.0375 wide. with a rib thickness of0.0 l 35. The end grooves are at least 0.030 from the edges. even ifthis reduces the width of these end grooves.

In theory. the two ring-parts can be initially tight fitting. and caneven have a press lit. The mating surfaces can be machined. if necessaryfor sufficient accuracy. Satisfactory fuse-bonding. at least at theedges. would still be desirable. If tests of applying soldering paste atthe edges to be drawn into the edge area during heating do not showsatisfactory results. some other method of fuse-bonding could presumablybe worked out. Fusebonding at the inner ribs is not believed to beessential. though it is at present provided.

The grooves can theoretically be formed by rolling. Outer dimensionswould change. but with experience allowance could be made for this. Theribs could be tapered. thicker at their bases. and this would bedesirable in the event of formation by rolling.

The grooves could be formed on the inner surfaces of the outer ring. butthe illustrated location is preferred. Not only is it easier to produce.but also a given supply of grooved inner ring-parts of one form can beused for a variety of different outer ring-parts.

I claim:

I. A precious-metal ring having concealed within its body. for savingmetal while retaining good stretchability characteristics. narrowsteep-sided enclosed annular voids separated by annular rib means. therib means reinforcing the ring against collapsing when stretching it toenlarge its size by providing. with annular continuity. metal from outerto inner faces of the ring.

2. A precious-metal ring having concealed within its body. for savingmetal while retaining good stretchability characteristics. narrowsteep-sided annular grooves separated by annular rib means. the ribmeans reinforcing the ring against collapsing when stretching it toenlarge its size by providing. with annular continuity. metal from outerto inner faces of the ring:

said ring comprising inner and outer ring-parts with the grooves and ribmeans formed in one of these parts and the rib means bearing on theother of these parts to form enclosed voids.

3. A preciousmetal ring having an inner annular ring part and an outerannular ring part. said ring having concealed within its body aplurality of enclosed annular voids for saving a substantial proportionof precious metal. and radially extending means of annular rib form forallowing said ring to be stretched satisfactorily in the manner ofstretching a solid ring. said voids being formed from grooves bounded bythe sides of said annular ribs on one of said parts and a mating surfaceon the other of said parts. said ribs and surface being bonded together.said ribs reinforcing the ring against collapsing when stretching it toenlarge its size.

4. A precious-metal ring having concealed within its body. for savingmetal while retaining good stretchability characteristics. narrowsteep-sided annular grooves separated by annular rib means. the ribmeans reinforcing the ring against collapsing when stretching it toenlarge its size by providing. with annular continuity. metal from outerto inner faces of the ring;

said ring comprising inner and outer ring-parts engaging one anotherfirmly at their mating surfaces and with mating surfaces fuse-bondedtogether. with the grooves and rib means formed in one of these partsand the rib means bearing on the other of these parts to form enclosedvoids.

1. A precious-metal ring having concealed within its body, for savingmetal while retaining good stretchability characteristics, narrowsteep-sided encloSed annular voids separated by annular rib means, therib means reinforcing the ring against collapsing when stretching it toenlarge its size by providing, with annular continuity, metal from outerto inner faces of the ring.
 2. A precious-metal ring having concealedwithin its body, for saving metal while retaining good stretchabilitycharacteristics, narrow steep-sided annular grooves separated by annularrib means, the rib means reinforcing the ring against collapsing whenstretching it to enlarge its size by providing, with annular continuity,metal from outer to inner faces of the ring; said ring comprising innerand outer ring-parts with the grooves and rib means formed in one ofthese parts and the rib means bearing on the other of these parts toform enclosed voids.
 3. A precious-metal ring having an inner annularring part and an outer annular ring part, said ring having concealedwithin its body a plurality of enclosed annular voids for saving asubstantial proportion of precious metal, and radially extending meansof annular rib form for allowing said ring to be stretchedsatisfactorily in the manner of stretching a solid ring, said voidsbeing formed from grooves bounded by the sides of said annular ribs onone of said parts and a mating surface on the other of said parts, saidribs and surface being bonded together, said ribs reinforcing the ringagainst collapsing when stretching it to enlarge its size.
 4. Aprecious-metal ring having concealed within its body, for saving metalwhile retaining good stretchability characteristics, narrow steep-sidedannular grooves separated by annular rib means, the rib meansreinforcing the ring against collapsing when stretching it to enlargeits size by providing, with annular continuity, metal from outer toinner faces of the ring; said ring comprising inner and outer ring-partsengaging one another firmly at their mating surfaces and with matingsurfaces fuse-bonded together, with the grooves and rib means formed inone of these parts and the rib means bearing on the other of these partsto form enclosed voids.